Data communications over a variety of networks, such as Internet protocol (IP) networks, mobile telephone networks and others have increased at an astonishing rate over recent years. The affordability and availability of computers, telephones, wireless devices and other network access appliances has made their use prevalent in a variety of applications. Further, as the demand for network access devices has increased, the diversity in types of network access appliances has also increased, with different devices often implementing different protocols and performance-based operational characteristics.
As access to packet-communicating networks such as the Internet and other networks becomes easier, convenient and more readily available, these networks are increasingly used and relied upon for many communication uses. To facilitate this communication, and particularly as the communication becomes more complex and involves greater bandwidth, a great deal of data is passed between devices on these networks. In this regard, the speed, reliability, security and cost of such data transfer continues to increase in importance.
Protocols such as the transmission control protocol (TCP) are used to facilitate communications between packet-communicating devices on these networks. Using protocols such as TCP, a communications link between packet-communicating devices is made for transferring data. Using such protocols, delivery of reliable and ordered data is facilitated and can be effected for concurrent communication with two or more communications applications.
In many instances, data such as images, audio, video and text, as well as application-specific data pertaining to a particular software program, is desirably transferred between network devices. For example, data for computer software, music, video, news services, games and other applications is often requested and delivered via the Internet and, for many applications, via wireless networks such as those implemented for cellular telephone networks. In this regard, the number of network subscribers, data providers, and requests by those subscribers for data transfer, streaming data and other content are growing exponentially. However, the limitations of current systems, in passing the data and otherwise, restrict the ability to meet the demand in a reliable, secure, efficient and affordable manner.
As the electronic storage of content and other data grows in popularity, remote access to the data as well as convenient manners in which to store the data have become increasingly important. For example, many workplaces have become increasingly mobile; employees are often working from a remote location such as at home or at traveling locations. Access to data from remote locations has been particularly useful for facilitating mobility while maintaining a desirable level of access to information. In addition, many personal users of packet-communicating devices use and/or rely upon electronic data such as pictures, audio and video. However, the growing size of data files desirably transferred to facilitate mobility or to otherwise provide flexible data access has presented challenges to the delivery of such data over communications channels. For instance, email is generally limited in its ability to transfer large data files, such as audio, video, text and presentation files.
Effectively and efficiently managing data transfer via communication networks has been challenging in the face of the advancement of technologies and trade channels that use or could use network-based data transfer.